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seed catalogs

Kids Post: Winter Fun with Seed Catalogs and Bird Feeders

February 8, 2017

On the day the first seed catalog arrives, I start getting the itch to garden. Why not get your children or grandchildren interested, too? Planning for a garden and attracting birds to your yard are ideal winter activities.

Make a garden blueprint
Use last year’s seed catalogs to let children cut pictures of fruits and vegetables that they like and that you are willing to grow. Add at least one vegetable you would like them to try. 

Help them plan a garden on paper or cardboard by pasting the items where you will plant them. At planting time, take the “blueprint” out to the garden and plant.

During the growing season, it will be fun to compare the paper garden plan to your actual garden. A bonus of creating a blueprint: next year you won’t have to remember where veggies were planted for crop rotation!

Flashcards and matching games
For younger children, you can use seed catalog pictures to make flash cards, a match game, or bingo from pictures of fruits and vegetables. Older siblings will enjoy helping construct these items.

Bird feeders
Pine Cone Bird Feeder_mel issa_CC BY-NC-ND 2.0_Flickr
Another great winter project is making bird feeders. The easiest one I’ve seen is made with a pine cone. You’ll need some inexpensive peanut butter or plain suet, and bird seed. Attach a string to the pine cone for hanging, spread the peanut butter or suet over the cone, and then roll it in bird seed. Hang outside near a window so that your family can enjoy watching the birds feeding!

Enjoy the winter with these fun, simple projects. Spring will be here before you know it!

Article written by Nancy Good, Extension Master Gardener Volunteer.

Resources:
https://naturalearning.org/children%E2%80%99s-vegetable-gardens-introduction
https://gardening.ces.ncsu.edu/wildlife/birds/

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Categories Gardening for Children Tags bird feeders, garden planning, seed catalogs

Seeds for Spring Planting

February 10, 2015

imageWith seed catalogs arriving in the mail, it is not too early to start planning for spring plantings. The advantages of beginning plantings with seeds rather than plants from a garden center are multiple. There is the joy of seeing a plant mature from seed to maturity, the availability of plant varieties not available from the local nurseries, and the ability to get a head start on planting before that last frost.

Some seeds do better when directly sowed into the ground, while others prefer beginning in pots. Some need warm soil, others cool. Some are open pollinated seed that will reproduce itself next year from harvested seeds. Hybrids on the other hand, often produce seeds at the end of their growing season that are not vigorous or true to type. Be sure to note when looking for seeds the sunlight and moisture requirements the growing plants require.

A calendar and knowledge of the last frost date www.ces.ncsu.edu/hil/hil-707.html allow calculation on sowing and harvesting times. By starting cool weather plants indoors or in cold frames a few weeks before the last frost date, you can get a head start on spring. Beware of planting tomato seeds too early, as they require warm temperatures to grow and fruit. Seeds such as lettuces can be planted in consecutive weeks to extend the harvest season.

image

Seed catalogs offer a wealth of information on plant varieties and conditions. Some even suggest seeds that are easy to grow. The abundance of catalogs present a cornucopia of choice. Just beware of buying more seeds than there is time to plant or energy to care for. But that is always the risk when longing for spring. Enjoy!

Article written by Lorraine Cipriano, Extension Master Gardener Volunteer.

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Categories Flowers, Vegetables & Fruits Tags seed catalogs, seeds, spring planting, starting seeds indoors

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